Author Description

In the early days of the new millennium, an unlikely quartet of young teenagers from diverse backgrounds begins to explore the forgotten history of their heritage school buildings. Following the discovery of a long-hidden letter, they stumble on a tale of friendship and betrayal dating from the early days of Victorian England. With the assistance of the coded letter and a dubious adult ally, they begin the search for a 'great prize', a treasure linked to their school's former use as an ecclesiastical building dating from the time when the Non-conformist churches, heirs to the Puritan tradition, were a powerful religious and social movement extending into the outer reaches of the British Empire. Facing increasing dangers from sinister forces, they come to realise that they are not the only ones interested in discovering the whereabouts of the 'great prize'. Ultimately, however, the story is not only about a search for a 'treasure hoard', but also for other, more intangible riches; a stronger sense of belonging and personal identity in a modern, multi-faith, multi-ethnic Britain.